Whenever You Want
by rainonmonday
Summary: A few years ago she wouldn't even have thought about the possibility of him being in her life. Now is different. Things change. / One-shot.


**A little something that made its way here.**

* * *

It's funny how things change.

A few years ago she wouldn't even have thought about the possibility of him being in her life. They've had their ups and downs – mostly downs, for whatever reason – and yet fate seems to insist on crossing their lives.

It's a chilly December and she's supposed to be doing some shopping for the holidays before things get to hectic. She has no less than two TV interviews scheduled, rehearses for some Christmas show where she's supposed to sing a song of the animated movie she was part of last year and then she's expected to start working on her new solo album.

She just can't believe seeing him in Bergdorf, much less in the children's department, looking at those tiny outfits like he is completely lost.

Rachel has improved her fashion sense quite a bit since the times she wore argyle sweater vests, and it's not her being snotty when she realizes that he's wearing expensive clothes that fit him perfectly. The last time she saw him, Noah was donning a hoodie and jeans that had seen better times. Of course, that was six years ago.

The thought of him buying clothes for his child – perhaps the first he got to keep – feels strangely like a missed chance. She would be lying if she told she was never attracted to him, because there was a reason she kept coming back – maybe there still is.

"Noah?"

His head snaps up so quickly it's a miracle he did not pull a muscle.

He still holds a cute onesie with a bunny on the front in one hand.

"Rachel," he breathes out as if he were seeing a ghost, and that's what makes her laugh.

They are almost thirty and somehow still behave like teens around each other. She must say part of the charm was always the way the bickered; neither of them was afraid of the other.

It's pure instinct when she hugs him, and she's glad that he returns the sentiment.

They exchange a few pleasantries of the type of so long since I saw you and what you've been up to, like old friends do, though she's not sure they were ever exactly friends.

Apparently he's been doing pretty well writing songs and producing. He's actually working on the soundtrack of an independent movie.

She tells him a bit about herself, being much more succinct that she ever was before. She blames it on the fact that she learned to do interviews and be vague instead of giving every detail away.

She fingers the fabric of a tiny dress hanging near her and asks, "Something else in your life?"

"What?" His eyebrows knit together before he gets it. "Oh." He chuckles. "No. This… Becca is pregnant, and the baby is due in two months. You can't even imagine the grief my mother is giving me now that my little sister is married and already popping out grandchildren."

"Becca? Wow. She… I feel so old. I remember her still being ten. Has it been so long?"

"Longer."

She smiles at him and then decides it would not be a bad idea to just ask. "Would you like to have lunch together?"

"Now?"

"Is there a better time?"

He smirks. "Sure. But you need to help me pick something for my future niece first. I'm not about to come here again."

…

New York is a huge city, with millions of people living in it and passing by, yet somehow they meet again without planning it.

She's in the studio trying to start recording her first song, but she's not entirely happy with the proposal of her producer and manager. She lets them know about it. It's not the first time she makes an album, so they shouldn't be patronizing about it.

She hates the way she storms out of the office. It's not as dramatic as it once was, but still. She's a bit of a diva, and she can't deny it.

"Hey."

Her eyes widen at the sight of the broad-shouldered man standing before her. Noah's wearing a gray sweater that looks comfy and soft, and dark jeans that go perfectly well with his worn out Doc Martens.

"Hey," she replies a little more flirtatiously than intended. She blames it on the fact she has not dated seriously in a couple of months.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Trying to work on my album, but they are being jerks about it. What does even adult-contemporary mean? I'm not _old,_ am I?"

He laughs. It's weird but she needed that.

"C'mon. I'm working with a new band. You should check them out."

He introduces her as an old friend to the guys in the room and a few members of the band recognize her immediately, before Noah can even let them know about it.

"I'll stay quiet. Promise," she says as she sits to watch them work.

She likes that Noah has a pad in which he writes, the old fashioned way, unlike her producer and his iPad. Everything in here is about camaraderie and love for the music.

Their sound is folksy with hints of an electronic background, and the mix of the two vocalist's voices is almost intoxicating as the girl sings in a steady whisper and the boy imprints raw passion in it. She wants to follow the beat of the music and perhaps she hums a little, because Noah next to her chuckles.

She laughs a little.

"I like it."

"Good."

"Who made the music arrangements?"

"That would be me," Noah says nonchalantly as he takes more notes.

She looks at him for a few seconds. "Who wrote the song?"

"See the kid on the bass?" She nods. "He's a genius. I helped, but that kid is gifted for a nineteen-year-old fucker."

She rolls her eyes when he laughs.

It is then that she takes a decision. "Do you think he could write a song for me?"

"Adult-contemporary?"

She smacks his arm. "Asshole."

"You could talk to him."

"Would you produce?"

And then Noah turns to her, smiling a bit. "Thought you'd never ask."

She grins and they both laugh, ignoring the knowing looks from the sound engineer and the band's manager.

…

"I did not like your last album," Dion bluntly tells her.

She appreciates honesty but she can't help to gape at him.

Apparently Noah is intimidating as ever, as it only takes him one arched eyebrow and Dion is trying to fix his slip.

"I mean-"

"No, it's okay," she says, placing a hand on Noah's forearm.

Since she told her former producer she would not work him, no matter how successful he was, she has been trying to do the best she can. Rachel just needs to prove them she can do a better job at handling her professional career.

"He has a concept," Noah provides. "We've been talking and this asshole has agreed to co-write for the entire album, if you want and he doesn't fuck up."

"Noah!" she scolds him, but Dion only sniggers.

"It's Puck, we are used to him. He gets the job done."

True.

"Still. I'm not used to this... language." Rachel smiles. "But I do want a great record."

"Great, so the concept of the album… I want your voice to overpower everything, to be more important than the music and be pure emotion. I imagine big choirs and maybe no music at all at some points, only your voice."

"We want you to be music itself and showcase that voice that can hit notes others can only imagine. I don't want you to focus on reaching a number one and make dance anthems." Noah looks at her as he leans forward. "I want DJ's to love the concept enough so they can make it for you, that they make you their goddess."

"We've been working on a song and we think it would be great to start promotion."

She smiles a little hesitantly. Before, people have always tried to make her more approachable and easy to sell. Here, Noah and this young boy are telling her the complete opposite. They are telling her to be herself and the others to accept it and deal with it the way they prefer.

"Okay. We'll do it."

…

They are listening to the demo in one of the booths. Alone. They are only three songs and a remix Dion made with his band. Like Noah said, he's a truly gifted boy and she believes he will make himself a name in the industry very soon, no matter if he comes from a small town in Minnesota where his grandfather taught him to play the cello.

"I like this one a lot," she whispers as her own voice is heard singing. The intro is only her without background music and she loves it because it's only her voice carrying the emotion and rhythm.

"I like it too."

She smiles. Of course he would. Noah wrote it and he's pretty smug about it.

But then his hands are on her hips and his chest is solid against her back. Her head falls against his shoulder.

"It's sexy," he breaths out and warm air tickles her neck.

She has to admit they've kissed twice in the past two months. Just, you know, small kisses they don't want to make a big deal out of.

His thumbs sneak under her shirt and he makes light circles near her hipbones. She shiver and feels her stomach flip-flopping. He nips at her neck and that's it. Light as feathers touches but filled with passion.

She likes it. The way he touches. How he can make it seem so sensual even in the smallest gestures. A wink that leaves her heart trapped in her throat. And how he reacts if she happens to flirt with him – more and more frequently now.

She had never had the fantasy but with him nearby is hard not to have it. She's never been quite audacious, but she's old enough to maybe act on some of her fantasies.

Rachel turns around and wraps her arms around his neck. He smiles before she teasingly bites his bottom lip and hints at the kiss that follows. He's an excellent kisser. Always was. Noah just does this with his entire body.

He lifts her and perches her on the sound console. One hand splays on her back and he deepens the kiss right after those tiny pecks to her bottom lip that make her sigh.

"Noah," she gasps and closes her eyes once his hands start caressing her stomach and back, and hint upwards.

They are adults. They can do whatever they want and she's sure she doesn't need to say it for him.

They kiss again and her hands sneak their way down his torso, feeling the rippled muscles even through the shirt. A shirt she soon lifts to find the belt buckle and fumbling with it, and then with the first button as he laughs deeply and she smiles before he nuzzles the underside of her jaw.

"Hey, guys, I… Oh. I'm…" Dion stands there and laughs when Noah looks at him as if he could murder someone, yet his pants are half undone. "Door was unlocked."

Rachel giggles and shakes her head before jumping off the console and patting Noah's arm, so he can buckle up.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not."

"Noah."

"It's not," Noah repeats.

"Yeah, it's not," Dion agrees. "Sorry, but we have a gig tonight and I wanted to know if Rachel wanted to sing with us. Maybe even throw a little surprise."

…

Becca's baby arrived later than she was supposed to, and Noah hadn't have time to visit at the time. So she can't really hold it against him when he leaves for a week and she's trapped with work. She has a video to shoot and interviews to make.

She sends Becca and the baby a little present. She doesn't want to put pressure on Noah about labeling the relationship, but given that she accidently answered his phone one time at eleven at night – when she was staying at Noah's apartment – and his mom is very aware they are seeing each other, she thought it was fitting.

She just did not expect him to kiss her goodbye and say those words she usually says in a hurry, when she's scared of losing.

"I'll miss you," she pouts playfully, making him smile.

"Me too, baby."

"I mean it," she says that because she can recognize that every time they had something before, he could have felt used. And it's not the case. Not this time.

"I know." He pecks her lips one last time. "I love you," he whispers against her lips and shoulders his bag.

She does not know what to say. He has never been this open about his feelings, and apparently he does not want to discuss it any longer, because he only smiles and leaves her place to take a cab to the airport without another word.

It's awful but she's mad at him. All day, it's the only thing she can think about and it's all his fault. She's distracted and it bothers her. The problem is she has never been able to let go of an idea; she can't let this go without figuring out how she feels about him.

He barely sends a text that he landed safely and she's thankful for it, because she's still raking her mind.

But at night he calls and tells him all about his gorgeous niece – as if he had not already sent her five pictures of the little sweetheart – and how she loves her uncle. Apparently she also loved the little plush panda Rachel sent her, even if she can't play with it.

A moment of silence passes by as they are about to change topics. He says something but she interrupts it with, "I love you, too." She can tell he's smiling. Don't ask her how, but she knows. "I know it's soon and we haven't even properly dated, but it's us. We never do things the usual way, and-"

"Baby, shut up," he murmurs. "Let me enjoy it."

She laughs, even if she tells him he's a jerk.

…

The first and second single are a hit. Dion's band is also doing great in the alternative scene, but her record is being praised by the critics and the audience. The label is happy with the numbers and her manager is planning a tour.

Things are great.

Noah's name has also surfaced not only because of the sightings of them walking around New York together, but because of his work. He is a coveted producer now, with some sort of Midas' touch.

He moves in with her seven months after they were listening to that demo, right before he starts working with some old rock star who wants a new approach on his record.

She and Dion do a duet for the soundtrack of a movie and everything is so perfect, she can't remember a better time in her career.

She shoots a fourth video and then has to return to the tour, but Noah visits her because it's her birthday.

It's amazing what they can do now that all resources are available since they are such stars.

They have a great night together, and plan about maybe renting a house in France or Italy – because she likes foreign movies where they show the sunny and green country side and vineyards. Perhaps a month away from chaos after the tour.

But then two months pass and they are about to celebrate their first anniversary when she finds out.

"I'm pregnant," she whispers in his ear, absolutely terrified about them, her career and the possibilities.

She couldn't have picked a worse time, since he's showing her the screen tests of a few actors for a movie he's producing. He's just stressed out, but happy with his work. He's done it all by himself.

Noah hugs her tightly and showers her face with kisses.

"Do you think your dads will be mad?" He wonders and she laughs.

"I was born out of wedlock," she reminds him. "Actually, do you think any of our parents will be mad when they will have a tiny Jewish bundle of joy to spoil?"

He grins.

"Are we going to be okay?"

Noah shoots her this look she can't quite read. Like she's crazy or he's confused.

"You don't want this?"

God. No! It's her baby and she already loves him or her, but she's a woman and if she's not in the spotlight for long, people tend to forget.

She tells him that.

"Rach, think about this as time for your next album. You can write and work on it. That's of course when you decide you can't perform because of the baby. I'll be supporting you one-hundred percent."

She does love him.

"Would you stay home with the baby when I tour?"

"I'll carry that little monkey around the city if I have to."

She laughs, because she knows he will.

…

Next time she sees him holding a onesie, Noah's changing their little boy's diaper.

"So dapper," she quips when Noah holds his tiny carbon copy.

"Me or him?"

"Both."

"Well, we do have a date."

"Oh, really?" Rachel smiles and approaches them to kiss the cheek of their little boy who gurgles at her and then squeaks as he smiles. "With whom?"

"A beautiful lady who happens to makes us very happy. We have to celebrate all the awards she received for her album and the new projects and Mother's Day. Did you know?" He leans and pecks her cheek. "That's an award she will get every year for the rest of her life."

"Is it me?" She whispers and Noah takes her hand.

"Follow me."

He makes a show of walking to their dining room that's decorated exactly like he asked to their maid. Even Miles' high chair is next to them. He has everything planned and, as if it weren't enough, Noah tries to keep it intimate, just the three of them.

She's rocking Miles to put him to sleep when she tells him what she thinks.

"I never believed we would end up like this. After everything we went through."

"It doesn't surprise me, really." She looks at him chuckling when he adds, "It's what we wanted and deserved."

"Yes."

He kisses her softly as they watch Miles sleep in his crib.

"Marry me," she says, because they are like that now. No secrets. No holding-back.

He smiles. "Okay. Whenever you want."

**the end.**

* * *

**I said I'd never write for this pairing again, but you see. Never say never. Would you tell me what you think?**


End file.
